Restless
by Cleeah
Summary: After spending countless nights awake and unable to meditate, Raven is left physically and emotionally fatigued. Soon, the control she once had over her powers begins to wane. What is causing these issues, and why is it's remedy so abnormal? Will it be enough to maintain her balance, or will her new-found struggle for peace result in disaster?


I do not own the Teen Titans~

* * *

Raven sat with her back against her bedroom window, watching the candles on her dresser flicker. For hours, scents of lavender and chamomile had slowly lulled her mind closer to a state of rest, but never quite enough to sleep. The first hints of early morning light had peaked above the skyscrapers of Jump City, casting an orange glow upon the room. Titan's Tower was immersed in the depths of weekend slumber, silent as Raven rose her hand to rub the lack of rest from her eyes.

The clock read 5:43 AM.

Raven's eyes drifted shut as she groaned, internally scolding herself for allowing another long, unproductive night. Her mind swam in an ocean of molasses, her thoughts moving lethargically as she pondered her body's choice to deny itself rest. The Titan had suffered four consecutive days of exhaustion, but hadn't managed to catch more than a few short naps. Raven was so very tired, and she could think of nothing else.

With a deep sigh and an incredibly mighty effort, Raven heaved herself up from her position and shuffled to her attached bathroom, halfheartedly swinging the door closed behind her. After another night of attempted sleep, the heroine could not fathom how she would survive the day.

* * *

Within the mass of bed sheets and pillows piled atop the Titan's bunk bed, Beast Boy snored, managing somewhere in the night to free an arm and have it dangle freely over the mattress. A puddle of drool continued to collect from his gaping mouth, pooled by a pillow who had suffered the same fate many times before.

Comics that had once scattered his floor were mostly replaced by street clothes and the occasional empty bottle of soda, but throughout even his late teenage years, the bunk bed and battered nightstand remained. The bottom bunk, however, had been converted into a desk area with a wheeled chair and small lamp.

A thick black curtain shielded Beast Boy's bedroom from any sunlight, allowing the teen to sleep peacefully into the early hours of the afternoon. Which is exactly what he intended to do.

* * *

By the time the sun had climbed it's way into full view, casting it's yellow glow across the Tower living room, Raven had begun her meditation near the window with a head of freshly washed hair and a warm cup of herbal tea on standby. Although her cognitive performance was slacking, her emotional scale seemed to be in optimal shape. After briefly consulting the Book of Azar, Raven went with what she knew best.

An hour had passed before Robin entered, a slight spring to his step as he headed straight for the refrigerator, removing a half-empty carton of eggs and a jug of orange juice from it's compact shelves. Pouring his glass, he quickly poured another, as if on pure instinct.

"Morning Raven," He called to the levitating empath, who regarded her silence in return.

Unfazed, Robin began to prepare two hearty plates of eggs, stopping here and there to sip at his juice. After the last egg had been salted and plated, Robin shifted his meal to the table, located at the end of the small kitchen. As if on cue, Starfire and Cyborg entered, talking about the T-car and it's ever-changing modifications and upgrades.

"Oh, friend Robin! This breaking of the fast looks absolutely delectable!" Starfire exclaimed, her smile widening upon seeing the steaming plates of eggs.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just figured I'd use the eggs while they're still good." Robin grinned, gesturing for her to join him. Giggling, Starfire immediately accepted the invitation and began asking questions about the meal. Cyborg tuned out after overhearing something about adding mustard to the recipe, and instead focused on his own breakfast.

On any other day, he would have commented on the absence of his hot-and-ready meal, but Cyborg knew better. His teammates had been in a relationship ever since their 'trip' to Tokyo, and even after a few years, the pair continued their everyday lives as the closest of friends. But even _they_ couldn't resist a romantic gesture every now and again.

* * *

Beast Boy stood in his room, admiring the sheer amount of mess that he had managed to create through the simple task of getting out of bed. As per usual, any average teenager's room had a pile of dirty clothes. Beast Boy, however, managed to have them located almost everywhere within the vicinity. By displacing those that had been on his bed, a domino effect with at least three other mounds left the floor virtually invisible to the naked eye.

Reaching into the depths of his organized chaos, Beast Boy pieced together a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, assuming the uneventful streak of the week would last through the afternoon. Each of the Titans had their own collection of casual clothing, usually in the form of pajamas or workout gear. As their experience as full-time heroes grew, they quickly found that living in the uniform came with it's disadvantages.

Satisfied, Beast Boy headed to the living room, led by the growling of his stomach and the incurable craving to play the newest game purchased for their Game Station.

* * *

"Good-morning, Titan's Tower!" Beast Boy announced, bursting through the sliding double-doors to the living area.

All that remained in the kitchen were dirty plates and an unattended Silkie, who had taken the liberty of cleaning said plates as he lay sprawled on the table. There were no signs of the other Titans, but Beast Boy safely assumed they had already begun their daily routines of training and tower maintenance.

In a flash, Beast Boy whipped up a bowl of cereal and soy milk with a side of leftover teriyaki-garlic tofu from the night before, since hey, the meal counted for lunch too, right? With his utensils secured between his teeth, Beast Boy plopped onto the couch, placing his meal on the coffee table and reaching for the remote to warm up the afternoon with some TV.

Eyes trained on the TV, Beastboy's hand was free to grope along the couch in search of said remote, but instead found it's way to a warm, soft, solid cushi- no, wait, that's-

Beastboy froze as he turned his head, gaze falling upon a certain resident empath, who's thigh he was gripping.

"Fu- Oof!" He gasped, immediately recoiling away from the empath, and directly off the couch and into the table. Beastboy's breakfast plates chattered momentarily, but settled as he hit the ground. They sat perfectly still as he peeked over the wooden tabletop, hand rubbing the back of his head.

Painfully aware of the burning of his ears and cheeks, Beastboy immediately opened his mouth to profusely apologize (and pray for a gentle beating), but soon found the action unnecessary.

Raven's hands, still clutching her book, laid in her lap, the book laying flat on the empath's legs. Her head slumped back into the couch; eyes closed, mouth ever so slightly ajar. Her soft breaths and complete lack of response confirmed Beastboy's suspicion. She was out cold.

The sight itself was rare, for anybody, not just Beastboy. The only other time he'd seen Raven sleeping was after the Beast incident, but she had looked strained and focused then. This was completely and utterly different.

And, somehow, extremely endearing.

Until, of course, the potential for hilarity drowned out every sensible thought in the Boy's mind. This was the perfect opportunity. Raven, alone, asleep, in the living room? What could be a better set up than this?

Grinning, Beastboy crept up and around the couch, positioning himself directly behind the sleeping Titan. His grin widening, Beastboy slowly reached for his teammate's face, carefully tucking the hair around her face behind her ears. Oh yes. This was going to be perfect.

With a muted slurp, Beastboy wet both of his index fingers and hovered them on either side of Raven's head. He knew deep down that he was going to pay hell for this, but in a moment _that_ golden, there was no room to care.

After a deep breath and a moment to bask in his absolute genius, he plunged both wet, slimy, unsanitary fingers into Raven's ears.

Her screech was almost as loud as his laughter.

* * *

I don't really have much to put in terms of Author's notes thus far...

I will add that this is my first time publishing/writing a Fanfiction of this size, and my first time publishing to this site! I'm extremely excited to finally get this story out, and I do hope you all enjoy it!

(I appreciate any and all reviews, whether they be offhand comments or critiques. Thank you so much!)


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